Service Opportunities

Why Service?

Service is a vital purpose of Al-Anon. The slogan “When I got busy I got better” demonstrates that by taking the focus off your own problems, you may begin to recover.

Anything done to help a relative or friend of an alcoholic is service: a telephone call to a despairing member or sponsoring a newcomer, telling or listening to one’s story at meetings, forming and supporting groups, arranging for public information, distributing literature, and financially supporting groups, local services and the Al-Anon World Service Office through voluntary donations. Carrying the message, as suggested in the 12th Step of Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps, is Al-Anon’s third legacy, guided by our Twelve Concepts of Service.*

Service can help you to grow. You can see that you are recovering from the effects of someone’s drinking by how you can help other people in a healthy way.

Service can be fun! You can meet a lot of new people, and have people that you already know begin to see you in a new light.

Service can be rewarding. You can make new relationships, broaden existing relationships, develop new skills and discover things about yourself and the Al-Anon that you may have never known before.

Beginners Meeting Doing Well!

Towson – THURSDAY – 7:30pm

Beltway Beginners is a great Al-Anon meeting. It has a wonderful mixture of newcomers and old-timers. It is very rewarding and exciting so see beginners “getting it” and getting better! If you’d like to see just what is involved, come visit us one Thursday!

Volunteer at Health Fairs

The MISSION of the AFG Public Outreach & Health Fair Committees is to raise community consciousness of Al-Anon/Alateen’s purpose by participating in public Health Fair’s in the Greater Baltimore area. This is done by displaying at a booth or table CAL (Conference Approved Literature), giving out directories and networking with other participants at the event, answering questions by calling on our own experience, strength and hope . Public Outreach representatives can be at the booth full or part time, depending on the size and duration of the event. There is an active volunteer list, but additional members and alternates can always be used.

WANTED: More Health Fair opportunities!

Please ask the Pastor of your church, or your Rabbi or other religious/community leaders, your neighbors, your child’s teacher, principal, guidance counselor, local hospital, anywhere you know of that has an annual or semi-annual fair or similar event, if they would like AFG (Al-Anon Family Groups) to set up a booth or table there. We’re unpaid volunteers, so any fee is generally waived for us. If there is any interest in our participation, please click here to contact your Public Outreach/HealthFair representative.

At the Group Level

Check with your home group to see if there are service opportunities available! This can be as simple as helping setup before or after a meeting, volunteering to be secretary or Chair, speaker seeker or Treasurer. Listen for announcements for these positions. Some groups also might need an Alternate Group Rep or Group Rep.

Public Outreach NEEDS your help

It has been said that if AA and Al-Anon groups do not let the public know of our presence, perhaps by announcing the time and place of meetings in local newspapers or by some other means, we block ourselves off from those in need…Let us not make that mistake….Let us REACH OUT NOW!

Are You willing to:

Attend a Public Outreach Committee meeting

Help find Public Outreach opportunities

Post a blue and white “Check it Out” form (p-1) on a bulletin board in your Al-Anon Group’s neighborhood grocery store, library, family center, doctor’s or lawyer’s office, local college (after checking with the respective manager).

On the poster, write the location and time of your meeting, as well as the Baltimore AIS phone number (410-832-7094)
and the URL for the Baltimore AIS web page: http://www.alanon-maryland.org/

Invite a counselor (or group of counselors) to an open meeting of your Al-Anon Group, or bring a few members of your group to a family or treatment center, to introduce them to the potential benefits of Al-Anon.

Donate 2 hours of your time giving out directories and other literature at an Al-Anon/Alateen, Health Fair table.

NEW: Parents/Teens –

Temporary Meeting Changes

Service – Volunteer Opportunity

The General Service Office in South Korea has recently completed a review of the book Hope for Today. They are searching for a volunteer member who would be willing to review this translation and provide constructive comments to the translation team. The purpose of the review is to help ensure that the translation conveys the spirit of Al-Anon’s fellowship and principles. If you are interested, there is an immediate need. Please contact Kerri Kindelan, Associate Director – International: wso@al-anon.org.